Quiet on the MO’ photo by Wolf Creek Angler

The cold snap which lingered over the holidays is but a memory now as we settle in to more seasonal conditions with daily high temps hanging right in that average, or slightly above average, 35 – 40 degree zone for the next while.

It’s been breezy more often than not as you would expect but the breeziness is much easier to contend with on a 40 degree day than a single digit day. While snowpack conditions are holding fairly steady in the high country the snow is all but gone here in Wolf Creek and on the Missouri. A bit of shelf ice hanging around here and there and the occasional chunks of ice falling off of the dam but wading conditions by winter standards, are actually optimal right now.

Flows are low and steady currently at 2840 CFS with water temps just shy of 34 degrees.

This is winter fishing at its best. Mild temps, low flows and hungry trout.

Hungry yes, aggressive….not so much. While there are no shortage of hungry fish, their primary concern right now is conserving energy. Winter is hard. Water temps are cold. It’s a whole different game from an angling perspective.

Sexy riffles and seams are not your winter targets. Holding in cold fast water requires energy the fish simply don’t have during the winter months.

Slow and deep….that’s where you’ll find them. And you’ll need to pick that water apart because they aren’t going to move much for a meal. Grid your water starting in close and working from the inside out. If you’ve covered the grid without success try going a little deeper and cover it again. Once you find one, you’ll generally find more in that same zone as they tend to stack up where favorable conditions prevail.

Bug selection is usually not the issue, it’s just a matter of putting the bugs in the right place.

A tungsten bead lead fly, usually along with a bb or two, will help you achieve your desired depth. Good options include Rainbow Czechs, Pink Amex, Caviar Scuds, Pill Poppers, Bubble Yum Scuds, Pink Weight Fly, Rainbow Weight Fly, Firebead Sows…you get the picture. Trail with a soft hackle sow, tailwater sow, Pederson’s sow, Pink Ray, Pink Lightning bug etc. and you should be in business.

Start with 5’ – 6’ from your indicator to your split and see what happens.

Or you could swing.

Or you could strip.

These methods tend to be less effective in cold water conditions but that’s not to say you won’t coax a few into breaking the rules. Nymphing is where the winter numbers are but you’ll still find plenty of folks swinging and a few even sticking to the single handed stripping game. Go DEEP and strip PAINFULLY SLOW…you might be surprised what you dredge up from the depths.

A high calorie target moving lethargically through the zone with plenty of pauses in between strips is often too great a temptation for our resident hogs to resist. It’s a low percentage method you might not want to commit your whole day to but I would. The largest brown trout I’ve caught on the Missouri was on a cold early January day. Dredged up from impossible depths.

It’s a great time to fish the MO and you can pretty much have it to yourself for at least another month.

We’re not quite ready to commit to published daily hours  but we’re working in that direction and as it stands now we’re here more often than not at 8:30 AM with the definite exception of Sundays.

Open for lodging and guide trips EVERY DAY. Call, email or direct message us on Facebook and we’ll respond promptly.